ENG 112: College Composition II (Ferrara-Loudoun)

This research guide will connect you to information and resources for your ENG 112 research assignment. For additional assignment information, please refer to your Canvas course or contact your professor.

If you need research assistance or library help, please use the 24/7 Chat Service or make an appointment with a Loudoun Campus Librarian. 

Ask yourself: Do you prefer taking notes on paper or on a computer--or both? How will you keep track of your research? There is no wrong answer to this question; but organizing yourself before you begin research will help you be more efficient in your work.

ENG 112 is a writing course that focuses on developing critical thinking and helps you to articulate your ideas more deeply in writing for your college courses and beyond. In this research and writing project, you will first conduct research on a focused topic related to either neuroplasticity or social media. Then, you will develop two writing projects: an evaluative annotated bibliography and a research-based factual argument essay. This final project is a chance to research your own assumptions about our essential question, “How do we decide what’s normal?” and build a complex final essay about what you think is normal in your chosen topic.

Research Requirements:

Find 6 diverse sources to integrate into your argument essay. See the section below on diversifying your research for more information.

• 3 of your sources may come from the open web.
• 3 of your sources must come from the NOVA library academic databases.

That’s 6 sources total—half from the web, and half from NOVA databases. Be sure to explore a variety of source types, such as:

• popular articles
• news articles
• scholarly articles
• interviews with experts
• data presented in graph and pie chart form
• audio clips from radio and podcast
• video clips from any number of sources

Please note: Dictionary items and Encyclopedia articles (including wikipedia.com) will not count towards the required 6 researched sources, although they may be used as additional references.

Diversifying Your Information Sources:

• Explore a variety types of information sources, including audio-visual materials. Non-academic and non-text sources may include valuable perspectives and modes of expression that you might not otherwise encounter.
• Find out where scholars in the field share ideas less formally (such as blogs, Twitter, etc), to find conversations happening outside of traditional forms of scholarly communication. Ways to do this include:
  • Search the Internet and platforms like Twitter for resources and authors who may not show up in library databases or Google Scholar.
  • Search Google Scholar for resources and authors that may not appear in library databases.
• Explore new sources of news.
  • For example, the library database Ethnic News Watch can be used to find publications that feature indigenous voices. The library databases Newspaper Source Plus and ProQuest Global Newstream also include news coverage beyond the U.S.
  • Limit internet search results to 'News.'
• Explore professional association conference programs, committee lists, and membership rosters to identify scholars and their interests.

Experiment with Search Strategies and Search Filters:

• Read the author information in database records, journal articles, or other publications to learn more about the author. Sometimes you may need to go outside the source and search for university profile pages, blogs, social media, and other online projects the author may be involved in. This information can often help you better understand an author's background, research agenda, and perspectives on the topic you are researching. 
• Change the way search results are sorted. “Relevance" is often the default setting for displaying search results, but you can change it to another setting, such as “Date-newest.” 
• Experiment with different search terms. Sometimes the terms you are using to describe your research topic may be different from those others are using. Consider the terms that different communities might be using. Try out different terms, and pay attention to what terms appear in the sources that you locate. Approach searching as a playful and exploratory process.
• Consider geography/location in your searching. For example, you might look for journals, online resources, or other publications that are based in a certain geographical area. Sometimes it may also help to use search terms that reflect a given region or location. You can also filter your search results to a geographical location. 

Consider Your Relationship to the Research:

Most of us – at least initially – search for, interpret and use information in a way that confirms our own beliefs. This is known as confirmation bias. Its effect is strongest when the researcher has an emotional attachment to the subject.

Genuine research and learning involve:

• acknowledging your own biases, preconceptions and prejudices
• with that awareness, finding and using sources for their authority on and relevance to a subject, regardless of whether you agree with them
• critically evaluating sources by considering the authors' perspectives, motivations, uses of evidence and argument, and rhetorical strategies (e.g., how they appeal to their audience)
• challenging "both-sideism" and "false balance" (the notion that all arguments are equally valid) and instead critically examining assumptions, evidence, and claims used to support specific arguments

Tips for Acknowledging Your Perspective and Finding New Perspectives on Your Topic:

Awareness of your own biases and perspectives can strengthen your ability to critically evaluate sources and arguments. Below are some practical strategies.

Investigate your beliefs, assumptions, and emotions.

• Why do you care about this topic? How does it (not) affect your life or the communities to which you belong?
• What do you know about the topic, including various perspectives and arguments about it?
• What are your opinions or beliefs about it and what influences those opinions?
• Are there alternative perspectives or counter-arguments that you may need to investigate in order to develop a fuller understanding of your topic?

Identify both facts and perspectives on the topic.

• Gather general background information on the topic. Reference sources like encyclopedias can be helpful for this.
• Seek to distinguish between fact and opinion. Sometimes opinions and arguments are presented as facts, when they are actually based on assumptions or implicit beliefs that may not be true, or that may not reflect the full complexity of an issue. It is often difficult to identify assumptions or implicit beliefs. However, searching for sources from a variety of places, comparing what those sources say and what their different relationships to the topic can help with this.
• Reject unsound arguments. Remember that not all viewpoints are valid, even if you initially agreed with them.

Both acknowledging your own biases and finding and using resources from different voices and communities can be challenging, but doing these things will bring your new insights and perspectives and make your research more meaningful and interesting.

Modified from National University Library, https://resources.nu.edu/citational-justice/diversifying (2024).